Many people come to Delhi to find Shahjehanabad. And they return with bits and pieces of a culture that defined it.
Shahjehanabad now lives in dark alleys, in the dying poetry and prose that sometimes bounces off the walls of dilapidated havelis, in the mouthfuls of authentic Mughlai food and deep inside the fascinating lanes of its bazaars.
Midway to Chandni Chowk, the road turns left into a narrow lane of shops selling jewellery. At the end of that stands an old concrete gate that reads: Kinari Bazaar.
This directs you to one of the most narrow, congested and crazy corners of the city. Lit even during the day, it’s full of light and sound. This is Asia’s largest retail market for wedding stuff. Head gear, clothes, ornaments, jewellery, belts, footwear, ritual objects, cosmetics, garlands made of notes, gold and silver tinsel, vermilion, threads, strings, pins. You name it and Kinari Bazaar has it. You can also hire wedding accessories here.
Most of the shops here have been doing business for generations. Some like the Arihant Zari centre, Meerut Wale, Lal Bishend Chand go back to the days of the 1857 Revolt. Near Meerut Wale is a crowded chowk. Tourists stand by a tea stall, sipping tea and taking pictures of the markets that lie beyond. Capturing the chaos and vibrancy of the bazaar is anything but easy.
As you go deeper into Kinari Bazaar, the lanes grow even narrower. And it’s not just wedding shoppers that throng Kinari Bazaar. It’s also a destination to buy festive accessories, especially for Dusshera. This where you shop for effigies of Ravana and where you can assemble the whole cast of Ram Lila. On Holi, colours simply take over this bazaar.
On the rest of the days, it’s a different kind of colour that replaces it.